Friday, January 02, 2009

Finish the Sentence...with Ben Willmore

[download your own copy from iTunes: the Finish the Sentence game show music]"It's time once again to ask a well-known photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting person the same 10 questions and ask them to Finish the Sentence! For the first time in 2009 the sentences are finished by.... Ben Willmore.

Ben, please Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) isThinkTank Photo's Modulus belt-based camera bag. I can change lenses so quickly, even if I'm standing in the middle of a stream, try doing that with a backpack. You can see a video of me demonstrating the setup on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TRLGRDv7ik

I’ve learned the most from..being out shooting and screwing up... I take notes from each shoot to try to make sure I only screw up in new ways.

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….India because it's so colorful and I love indian food!

My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) isPhotomatix for processing my HDR images. I use this software as often as I use Adobe Camera Raw. You can check out two free 20 minute tutorials I recorded while being a guest on Bert Monroy's Pixel Perfect show

I love the fact that Photoshopkeeps improving in impressive ways without much solid competition out there.

I hate the fact that Photoshopdoesn't read my mind and do all my work while I sleep.

If I could turn back the clock 10 yearsI would have started living a mobile lifestyle much earlier. I've been living full-time on a 40' motorcoach for over two years now. I have explored more than 25 states each year since I've started to live this way. There's always something new to shoot when you change your surroundings every week or so. To lean more about how living a mobile lifestyle has helped my photography, check out my guest blog post on Scott Kelby's blog

In 10 yearsI'm sure things will be quite different, but it's hard to plan out that long. I just hope camera manufacturers stop the megapixel race (we've got enough now) and start working on expanding the dynamic range and other useful stuff... it's going to become more difficult to entice me into wanting to buy a new camera every 18 months if they don't.

If I could give one piece of advice it would beShut off your computer, turn off the TV, put down that book, turn off your cell phone, then go outside and live your own life instead of reading/watching/talking about what everyone else is doing... blaze your own trail! Don't wait until you retire because you just might not have the energy or ability to get around compared to what you can do today. Why not keep your old cell phone, your older car and stop trying to keep up with your neighbors and spend that money on living more life more vividly right now?

A senior engineer from NASA once said that this man gave the best technical seminar he ever attended. That same year a computer-phobic who had been struggling with Photoshop for years proclaimed that He takes the Boogie Man out of Photoshop! This seems to be Ben Willmore's special gift; he has an uncanny ability to connect with users of every level and mindset; whether it's first-timers taking their first sniff of Photoshop, or razor-sharp nerds and nerdettes who are on the fast track to technical illumination. The common echo that Ben leaves in his wake seems to be Aha! I finally GET Photoshop!

His award-winning, best-selling book, Adobe Photoshop Studio Techniques is said to be Arguably, one of the best Photoshop books ever written by Photoshop User's publisher, Jim Workman. He is co-author (with Jack Davis) of another best-seller, How to Wow: Photoshop for Photographers, as well as another bestseller, Up to Speed: Photoshop CS3.

His home office is on the main deck of a 40-foot touring bus, which is command central for Ben's ongoing adventures as a Photoshop nomad and digital photographer. While Ben is rolling down the road, he stays connected through his blog, www.WhereIsBen.com.

1 comment:

Ben's piece of advice is absolutely terrific! Bravo! If I had a New Year's resolution that I would really like to keep, it would be to embody his advice. (I can't begin to tell you how much I needed to hear it. Surprise, surprise, my wife heartily agrees with Ben.)